Adopt-A-Palooza Dazzles and Clear the Shelters Coming Soon

Adopt-A-Palooza Dazzles and Clear the Shelters Coming Soon

Posted on 08/10/2018

Manatee County, FL, (August 10, 2018) The 4th Annual Adopt-A-Palooza, held on Saturday, August 4th at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto, attracted an estimated 2,000 attendees and netted over 100 adoptions for Manatee County Animal Services (MCAS) and local shelters and rescues.

MCAS processed a total of 62 adoptions (19 dogs and 43 cats) during the 5-hour event, which was free and open to the public. Adoption fees (for MCAS) were waived in lieu of a donation made to the Friends of Manatee County Animal Services (FoMCAS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works directly with the shelter to fund additional resources, medical care and heartworm treatment. FoMCAS raised an estimated $19,000 from the annual event.

Over a dozen local shelters and rescues participated, including Humane Society of Manatee County, Bishop Animal Shelter SPCA and Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue. These rescues estimated an additional 50 adoptions that are currently in process.

The 5th Annual Adopt-A-Palooza will take place next year on Saturday, August 3, 2019.

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MCAS and WFLA-TV / News Channel 8 (“WFLA”) is excited to announce the return of the popular pet adoption drive, Clear the Shelters. Launching in August and culminating with ‘Clear the Shelters’ Day on Saturday, August 18,MCAS will bewaiving adoption fees for all dogs and cats for this one day only. Manatee County residents are required to license their new pet for an additional $15 tag fee. All pets will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped.

This is WFLA’s second year participating in the national Clear the Shelters initiative, which will include 22 animal shelters and rescues from the station’s viewing area.

“WFLA is committed to finding forever homes for pets in need. We’re proud to be a part of this national initiative resulting in placing more than 150,000 pets with families willing to offer them a loving home. News Channel 8 is truly On Your Side of the pets on this one,” said Skip Valet, VP and General Manager of News Channel 8.

NBC and Telemundo stations across the country will team up for the annual ‘Clear the Shelters’ animal adoption drive. All participating shelters will offer fee-free or reduced rate adoptions on Saturday, Aug. 18. For a list of participating shelters, go to wfla.com/cleartheshelters. In addition, you’ll find tips and videos on costs associated with pet ownership, the different types of animals up for adoption, a pet decision maker flowchart that helps you decide the best pet for YOU and more.

For more information about the station’s pet adoption campaign, visit wfla.com/cleartheshelters. You can also follow the effort on social media by using the hashtags #cleartheshelters and #wfla. Clear the Shelters is an initiative spearheaded by NBC Universal owned television stations, a division of NBCUniversal. ‘Clear the shelters’ is sponsored nationally by Cat’s Pride and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. The local sponsors are Precision Overhead Garage Door, Nissan, California Closets and Maus Nissan.

Manatee County Animal Services is Manatee County’s only open-admission shelter facility, taking in an average of 10 animals per day in 2017. By never turning any animal away that comes to us (no matter the condition, age, breed or species), that average has increased this month to 15 animals per day due to kitten season, confiscation cases and owner surrenders.

The Palmetto Adoption Center and Shelter, located at 305 25th Street West in Palmetto, will be open on Saturday, August 18 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. As a reminder, the Downtown Cat Adoption Center, located at 1002 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205, remains closed to the public until further notice. All adoptable cats are now located at the Palmetto location. Animal Services can be reached at 941-742-5933.